Dec 21 Obama administration expands wildlife protections for lions By Kevin Freking, Associated Press The Obama administration is expected to extend Endangered Species Act protections for two breeds of lions, in response to a large decline in their numbers in Africa over the past two decades. Continue reading
Jun 20 Watch 1:53 ‘Lifeless pile of tusks’ crushed in NYC to protest ivory trade By PBS NewsHour On Friday, illegal elephant ivory was put on display and then destroyed in the center of Times Square in New York City. Elephant poaching is soaring according to conservation groups, as a pound of ivory can fetch $1,500 on the… Continue watching
Jun 18 Republicans in Congress try to block Obama administration’s environmental plans By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press Republicans controlling a powerful Senate committee moved Thursday to block Obama administration initiatives to curb global warming, issue new clean water rules and regulate hydraulic fracturing on federal land. Continue reading
Jan 23 Environmental Groups Weigh Impact of Obama ‘Midnight Rules’ Freeze By PBS NewsHour On his first day in office, President Obama ordered a freeze on all pending federal rules put forward by the Bush administration during its final days -- including several controversial environmental regulations. Continue reading
Oct 08 Watch Polluted Rain Run-off Poses Threat to Water Systems In a landmark decision, a Washington state pollution board has ruled that flow of polluted storm water into local water systems must be reduced. Lee Hochberg reports on the ruling and controversy over the impact of new home developments on… Continue watching
Aug 12 Bush Administration Proposes Changes to Endangered Species Act Rules By PBS NewsHour The Bush administration on Monday proposed a regulatory change that would allow federal agencies to decide for themselves whether construction projects such as roads and dams have the potential to harm endangered animals and plants. Continue reading
May 14 Watch Polar Bears Listed as ‘Threatened’ Due to Loss of Arctic Ice In a highly anticipated decision, the Interior Department on Wednesday declared the polar bear "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act because of shrinking Arctic ice due to global warming. Two analysts consider the impact of the decision. Continue watching
Jan 09 Agency Delays Decision on Polar Bear Listing By PBS NewsHour The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service postponed a recommendation originally due Wednesday on listing the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act due to changes in its habitat from global warming. Continue reading
Dec 19 Recommendation Nears for Listing Polar Bear as ‘Threatened’ By PBS NewsHour One year ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took up a proposal to list the polar bear as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act -- a decision that enjoys public support but also stands to impact a range of… Continue reading
Feb 23 U.S. Government Looks to List Polar Bear as Threatened By Admin, PBS NewsHour The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the polar bear -- a species whose survival depends on the sea ice that is melting as the Earth's temperature rises -- as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. Continue reading